vodka bruises
by izukillme
Summary: Natsu promises to stop, but he never does. So, Gray leaves. Part 2 of Tumblr drabbles.


Gray looked tiredly at Natsu, who was dancing madly on the kitchen table, swinging around a bottle and singing, "Na-na-na-na-na, I have the vodka, Gray can't get me now!"

"Natsu." he said, rubbing at his aching temples.

"What? It's party time!" And Natsu waved the bottle around even more, swinging it up, swinging it down. Gray flinched inwardly, the motion triggering a few memories he'd rather not remember.

"Natsu. It is six o'clock in the morning. You are _not_ having vodka. Get it?"

"I don't have to listen to you!" Natsu yelled, opening the bottle - which Gray now saw was half-full. A fear rose in the pit of his stomach - had Natsu begun drinking _already?_ That meant - that meant -

Natsu took a huge swig.

"Natsu - please - I'm begging you, stop!" Gray screamed, fighting against the tide of memories that suddenly rushed at him.

"Why should I?" Natsu demanded. The bottle, Gray saw with ever-increasing dread, was empty.

"No – gods, please, no-" was all he could murmur. The fear came roaring in, flooding every inch of Gray's mind till there was nothing left but _run, run, run_.

It wasn't his mother standing before him this time, throwing bottle after bottle of beer at him.

It was Natsu, and Gray was scared.

He screamed.

"Natsu, please!"

But his husband paid him no heed.

And instead raised his arm.

"Shut up, Gray!" he yelled, and flung the bottle in Gray's general direction.

Gray's eyes widened as the glass shattered against his skin, leaving a bunch of cuts that he _knew_would hurt like hell later.

Tears came to his eyes, and he fled the hall, grabbing his suitcase, stuffing all the things he considered precious or needed – his late Aunt Ur's watch that he wore to work every day, his computer, his wallet and phone, driving license, his sketchbook and sets of pencils and colour-pencils – into it. He always kept it packed due to his busy schedule that required him to hop on a plane even with five minutes' notice, so he had all the necessary supplies like clothes and toiletries in there.

His hand lingered over the framed picture of him and Natsu on the bedside table.

Gray gave it one last look, eyes full of wetness, before he turned around and ran out, leaving it behind.

He grabbed a Post-It and scribbled the message, _Natsu, I'm leaving. I'm sorry. But I can't live with a man who is always drinking. You know. You know what I went through. And I love you. But my love can't endure if you can't respect my fear of alcohol consuming you like it did my biological mother. You keep promising, but I know it's empty. It always is. I'm leaving the ring. I can't bear to see it._

_I'm sorry, but this is goodbye._

_Gray Fullbuster, formerly Gray Dragneel-Fullbuster_

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Gray slid off the wedding band from his finger and placed it next to the note.

He dropped his key to the house on the floor, opened the door and walked out.

Though the urge to look back as he pressed the lift button was tempting, he didn't.

_He couldn't._

* * *

Natsu woke up to an empty house.

He rubbed his eyes blearily. He had a terrible headache. He shouldn't have drunk all that vodka.

What time was it? Scratch that, what day was it?

Natsu wanted to cry at the mess he was. Every time, he kept promising he would stop, and he never did.

He'd have to, now. He'd never drink again, he swore. To himself and to Gray.

Speaking of, where was Gray?

He wandered into the kitchen.

"Gray?" he called.

No answer. Frowning, Natsu went to their shared bedroom.

Half of Gray's things were gone, and worry started to set in, headache forgotten.

"Gray!" Natsu yelled, real panic in his voice now.

He went to the hall, combing with his eyes for any trace of his lovely, droopy-eyed, dark-haired husband.

But no.

Except –

Natsu's fingers scrabbled for the yellow Post-It stuck to the coffee table.

_Natsu, I'm leaving. I'm sorry. But I can't live with a man who is always drinking. You know. You know what I went through. And I love you. But my love can't endure if you can't respect my fear of alcohol consuming you like it did my biological mother. You keep promising, but I know it's empty. It always is. I'm leaving the ring. I can't bear to see it._

_I'm sorry, but this is goodbye._

_Gray Fullbuster, formerly Gray Dragneel-Fullbuster_

Natsu's eyes widened, and he grabbed the gold ring on the coffee table, next to the note.

_Gray…_

_He left._

_Gray left me._

_Gray…_

_He left me._

_It's because of me._

_It's my fault._

Natsu collapsed into a heap on the floor, banging and crying and screaming.

It was all his fault. His stupid, drinking, whiny self's fault.

"Gray, please," he begged a man who was not there.

Gray had essentially declared their marriage null and void. He had pushed him that far.

Natsu howled.

He just needed his Gray to come back.

"Gray," he sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have. Please, come back. I'll show you that I can change. I promise,"

He lay there for god knew how long, crying and sobbing and screaming for Gray.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Natsu got up, not bothering to hide his tears and bleary eyes.

He was met by the grave faces of Loke, Gray's best friend, and Lyon, his half-brother.

"You!" began Lyon furiously. "You've broken Gray so much. I don't even know why we're here."

"Ly," Loke said, putting a hand on Lyon's shoulder and kissing his cheek. "Calm down. We're doing this for Gray."

He turned to Natsu then.

"Natsu." he said seriously. "Do you promise, never to drink again? _Never _to hurt Gray Fullbuster ever again?"

"Is this-" Natsu could barely speak. "Is this a second chance?"

"If you use it well." Lyon spoke, leaning against the doorway. "If you swear on your life that you would kill yourself to ensure that Gray is always happy."

Loke looked abashed. "Lyon, that's a bit much."

Lyon snapped, turning to his boyfriend, "No! It's not much at all! I know Gray would bring him the stars if it meant him being happy! And I need to know that Natsu loves him enough to even snap his own neck for Gray."

"I would." His voice was hoarse.

"I would cross mountains, valleys, deserts, oceans, and I would not stop a second, if that meant that Gray is happy."

"N – Natsu," choked an achingly familiar voice.

Gray stumbled into his arms.

Natsu jerked back.

"G – Gray?!"

Gray looked up at him.

"It might be hard." he said. "But I was wrong, too. I shouldn't have run away like that. I should have faced down the problem. And – I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it. I can help you. If you'll let me. if you'll let me let you stop drinking."

Natsu looked in rapture at the wonderful man, this wonderful man who had _come back_ even after Natsu had crossed the most unforgivable of lines, who had come back seeking to help him.

He couldn't help it.

He dissolved into tears, and Gray, patting him, brought him gently inside their apartment, stopping only to slide his ring back on and tear up the note, an action which only made Natsu cry more.

"It's all right. It's all right. I'm here now." Gray murmured, patting his back. The door swung shut behind them.

And it _was_ all right.

Gray was here, and Natsu would do his best.

To change.

For Gray.


End file.
